I wanted to get this story posted ASAP so that those of you who may be traveling to India will be aware of that country’s harsh obscenity laws. So if you were planning to do any nude bathing in the local holy lakes and then walk back to your hotel naked, be aware that the local authorities take a dim view of this.
This is based on the recent experience of a female tourist from Finland who has been charged under section 294 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalizes indecency and obscenity. She took a dip in a lake while visiting the town of Pushkar, which is a popular pilgrimage destination because of a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma.
There is also an annual camel fair.
The Finnish tourist apparently strolled back to her hotel after her bath, still naked, which angered “several local people and priests,” according to the report. The charges carry a possible sentence of three months in jail, although the woman is expected to get away with a fine. That was the penalty imposed on an Israeli couple last month, who were actually charged and prosecuted under Section 294 for kissing during their wedding ceremony, which they held for some reason in Pushkar.
Still, their brazen kiss was less offensive than what happened last October, when residents complained that a group of female tourists (also Israeli, oddly enough) had danced naked in the desert near Pushkar.
Maybe they should change their tourism slogan, “What Happens in Pushkar Stays in Pushkar.”